Back to Power Outages in Havana

By Francisco Acevedo

HAVANA TIMES – Let me clarify from the very beginning to avoid offending sensitivities. When it comes to blackouts, Havana sets the reference point because the rest of the country lives a very different policy.

For about two years now, most of Cuba has been receiving roughly six hours of electricity per day. The only exceptions are circuits connected to hospitals that do not have operational backup generators.

When those generators are repaired or acquired, those locations immediately return to the standard routine of at least 18 hours without electricity.

In contrast, Havana is treated much more leniently. Blackouts there are shorter, scheduled whenever possible, and occur mainly during daylight hours.

From mid-December until last week, there were relatively short blackouts only in some neighborhoods in the capital, which is why we refer to their return now. However, we must reiterate that Havana is an exception, as those in other regions of the country saw no improvement in their harsh daily reality.

Having clarified that, let’s talk about the attempt to schedule the blackouts. Until last year, the planned schedules were mostly adhered to. However, in 2025, the situation has turned into complete chaos, with announced outages rarely being followed.

Additionally, the hours without electricity have increased. Whereas last year they typically lasted four hours on alternating days, they first went up to five hours, and this week, they reached six. These six hours are now divided into two three-hour segments, including nighttime outages (until around 8:00 p.m., though in some areas, even early morning hours were affected).

The latest “experiment” wasn’t repeated, leading me to believe it was just a trial run. However, in this country, experiments of this kind tend to become permanent.

When authorities announced the suspension of non-essential educational and work activities for this Friday, we feared the worst. Fortunately, it wasn’t as bad as that weekend in October when the entire island suffered a total blackout for three days.

As was stated when the economic plans for this year were presented, it will be impossible to meet the population’s energy needs due to insufficient power generation capacity.

At that time, it was projected that 18,606 GW would be generated in 2025, but achieving this would require a significant increase in renewable energy sources. The daily average availability would need to remain at 1,400 MW—far below the average demand of 3,000 MW.

Experts estimated that between $8 billion and $10 billion and more than ten years would be needed to fully restore the National Electro-Energy System. As a result, hopes were not high.

In response, the government is resorting to barrio-debates, a term that seemed obsolete for years but now appears to be making a comeback. As of February 18, officials from the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) announced that “specialists” from various ministries would “explain the impact of the criminal US blockade policy against Cuban families” as the cause of the blackouts.

Honestly, I don’t know if this move will help or hurt them, because people are really upset. But it does show their fear of another July 11. While the presence of government officials, including police representatives might be intended as a form of intimidation, it could just as easily serve as the perfect setting for protests.

Amid this situation, several protests have gone viral in different parts of the country, with particular attention drawn to one in the Santiago de Cuba town of Palma Soriano, organized by the Patriotic Union of Cuba (Unpacu).

The demonstration was small, with around a dozen participants, but what stood out was that it was led by an organization rather than just random individuals. It was also significant that the protest was headed by Jose Daniel Ferrer, the regime’s most feared political opponent, who was recently released from prison.

Ferrer remains “under tight control,” as Cubans say, but his influence and ability to mobilize people—even with just a cellphone—are undeniable. He has earned respect from both supporters and critics for his unwavering stance against the dictatorship.

Since his release on January 16, after spending three and a half years in prison, he has faced constant harassment. On January 27, he refused to respond to a police summons, and this month, he was summoned again by the Municipal Court of Santiago de Cuba.

He has also denounced ongoing surveillance by state security, including the use of drones to monitor his home. From there, he communicates daily with victims of the regime, either in person or by phone, while his wife uses their home as an independent medical clinic.

This example of resistance has left a mark on public consciousness. Despite strict state security controls, Ferrer makes the most of every minute of his freedom, knowing that it could end at any moment. This week, he called for Cuban exiles to support independent media.

His appeal was backed by other dissidents, including:

• Felix Navarro Rodríguez of the Pedro Luis Boitel Party for Democracy
• Berta Soler, leader of the Ladies in White
• Manuel Cuesta Morua, vice president of the Council for the Transition in Cuba
• Ivan Hernandez Carrillo of the Independent Trade Union Association of Cuba
• Juan Alberto de la Nuez Ramirez of the Citizen Reflection and Reconciliation Movement
• Former political prisoner Ángel Moya

This is highly delicate work, especially when carried out from within Cuba. The dictatorship consistently harasses journalists and cracks down on the funding of independent media. Many of these outlets survive under extremely precarious conditions as a result.

Thanks to the digital era, however, these independent media sources have become known to a significant portion of the Cuban population, who for decades had only the official state media as their sole source of information.

Read more from Cuba here on Havana Times.